Day after Akal Takht reprimand, Sidhu apologises for wearing shawl with Sikh symbols
Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu says many wear symbols of Sikhism on their turbans, clothes and even tattoos with pride, so he too wore them on the shawl unintentionally.
A day after Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh’s reprimand for wearing a shawl with symbols of Sikhism, Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday apologised for unknowingly hurting Sikh sentiments.
Sidhu faced flak on social media after a video showed him wearing a shawl with the symbols of khanda and Ik Onkar. Sidhu had posted the clip on his YouTube channel. The video was purportedly shot while he was campaigning against the three farm laws. He had also posted the pictures on his Facebook page. People had expressed their disappointment and asked him to respect Sikh tenets.
Giani Harpreet Singh asked the former Punjab minister to apologise to the Sikh sangat (community), terming the act of wearing the shawl with Sikh religious symbols “reprehensible”. “As a Sikh, he should have known that this is against the Sikh maryada. With this, the sentiments of all Sikhs have been hurt,” the jathedar said in a press statement.
On Wednesday, Sidhu took to Twitter and apologised, saying he had worn the shawl with pride as several people wear turbans and clothes with symbols of Sikh faith in reverence.
“Shri Akal Takht Sahib is supreme. If I have unknowingly hurt the sentiments of even one Sikh, I apologise! Millions wear the revered symbols of Sikhism on their turbans, clothes and even carve tattoos with pride, I too as a humble Sikh wore the shawl unintentionally,” Sidhu tweeted.
The Akal Takht jathedar had issued the statement after a five-member committee of the Sikh Youth Power of Punjab, led by its president Paramjit Singh Akali, submitted a memorandum to the Takht seeking strict action against Sidhu.
